Not in Smash
by Denizen of Dreamland
Summary: Nobody would have guessed, but they have been friends since the Brawl era. Ridley, King K. Rool, Banjo and Kazooie, Bandana Waddle Dee, and Geno have been some of the most requested Smashers for years and have come together because of this, but now that two of them have gotten into Smash and other two have had their hopes ruined, conflict is unavoidable.


_(10/12/2018)_

 _Disclaimer : I don't own any of the characters in this fanfic. Ridley and King K. Rool are owned by Nintendo, Banjo and Kazooie are owned by Rare, Bandana Waddle Dee is owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratories, Geno is owned by Square Enix, and Joker is owned by Atlus and Sony, I guess? I don't know, I just looked that last one up in the Internet. Anyways, I also don't own Super Smash Bros. or any other characters that are mentioned in here. This fanfic is merely for entertainment purposes._

* * *

An unlikely group of friends, Ridley, King K. Rool, Banjo and Kazooie, Bandana Waddle Dee, and Geno, sat on a large, faded couch in Banjo's house. Actually, they weren't all sitting on the couch. Ridley, who had made himself comfortable by lying across the couch, took up most of the space, and K. Rool sat at the other side of it, leaving no space for anyone else. Banjo had resorted to sitting on top of the back of the couch, while Bandana Dee and Geno were satisfied with a spot on the floor, closer to the TV that was in front of them.

Banjo didn't mind all his friends sitting around and taking up the most comfortable spots. After all, the cozy cabin was almost like a second home to the group of friends, who usually came over to enjoy a meal, talk, and play video games. In fact, there was an XBox 360 sitting next to the TV, in which they'd usually play games they borrowed from Kazooie. However, unlike other times, they weren't there to play video games. There were watching the Game Awards.

 _"BEST ONGOING GAME"_ , the screen announced.

"Oh, boy." Bandana Dee said.

"I bet it's Fortnite." K. Rool said.

"Urgh, I hope it isn't." Ridley replied.

"Hey, what's with the Fortnite hate?" Bandana Dee asked.

Geno turned his head to look at his friends. "Shhh!"

In the TV, one of the hosts took out the envelope, opened it, read it, looked up, and smiled. He leaned in towards the microphone and said a single word: _"... Fortnite."_ In the screen, the audience began to clap and cheer, but the sounds were soon drowned out by the voices of the six friends.

"Fortnite! Fortnite! Fortnite!" Bandana Dee shrieked, waving his hands up and down in joy, horror, or surprise, though nobody could tell what it was. "It's Fortnite!"

K. Rool jumped in his seat and spoke in a tone too loud for Banjo's liking. "See? Told you, told you, didn't I?"

"The Game Awards are biased." Ridley said, rolling his eyes.

"Congrats on winning, Fortnite." Banjo said, doing a clapping motion, but almost making no sound. "Best ongoing game."

"Can you _please_ shut up? All of you?" Geno asked.

Kazooie poked her head out of Banjo's backpack. " _You_ shut up first, dolly!"

"Kazooie!" Banjo said. Kazooie, as expected, wasn't even watching the Game Awards. She was just hiding inside Banjo's backpack, listening to the conversation, and sporadically popping out to utter some nasty comment towards an unfortunate target in Banjo's group of friends. This time, however, Geno didn't seem to mind. He had his eyes glued to the screen and was trying his best to listen to what the people in it were saying.

At present, a man was up, in front of the microphone, doing a speech. In his right hand, he was holding a silver trophy that resembled a humanoid with wings, and a label soon appeared on the left corner of the screen. It read _"Donald Mustard"_ , with the caption, _"Epic Games."_ Due to Geno's request, the room fell silent and all friends continued watching the show, so the speech went on without any inconveniences. There was the occasional eye roll from Ridley and the harrumph from K. Rool, but, otherwise, they managed to stay quiet and listen.

 _"... We're all kinda of one big team-all of us in this industry-really pushing this medium and I'm so grateful for it. Thank you guys so much."_

As the man walked away from the microphone, on his way to get off the stage, the camera cut to the host of the show. Smiling and taking his own microphone towards his mouth, he spoke. _"There are still lots of amazing moments coming up in the show with more performances, and, of course, the_ Game of the Year _announcement-"_

Inside of the TV, the lights dimmed until both the announcer and the stage were covered in darkness. The transition was so seamless that the problem couldn't be the screen, but it still took the group of friends by surprise.

"What?" Banjo blurted out. "A blackout?"

 _"Woah, what's going on?"_ The voice of the host echoed.

"T-this is it." Bandana Dee choked out, paralyzed. "This must be it."

"It has to be!" K. Rool said.

"What?" Ridley perked up. "No way!"

"Shut up!" Geno said. "If this is Smash, I wanna listen!"

The last five or six times they had thought Smash was coming up, they had been wrong, but who knew? They stared at the screen in awe, before the screen lighted up again and showed a red background with a logo that looked like a mask with white flaming eyes and a top hat.

"AAAAHHH It's Persona 5!" Ridley screamed. "Or-Maybe Persona _6_?"

"SHHH!"

 _"This is Joker."_ A voice declared. _"I've infiltrated the theater."_

The logo disappeared and a figure of an animated boy with a dark cape, black hair, and red gloves fell from the sky.

 _"Wait. Seriously?"_ Another male voice said. _"He went_ alone _to the Game Awards?"_

The figure on the screen sprinted to the left, reappearing closer to the camera. He had a pale white skin to contrast with his black hair, deep red eyes, and a white mask over his eyes. The camera followed him while he ran towards the left side of the TV. He continued running, but then he got farther away.

 _"But… it's so far away!"_ A female voice said. _"Why is he there?"_

The boy stopped running, knelt on the ground, and jumped high, before he began falling and turning around into the air. The camera zoomed in.

 _"There's only one thing that Phantom Thieves of Hearts specialize in…"_ Someone else added.

The screen turned black and dark gray, before the boy hurried in while an alarm blared in the background. He then slid down towards the camera.

 _"Is he there to steal a treasure?"_ Another one said. _"Have you already sent a calling card?"_

The boy left the screen through the right side of it and everything turned red once again. The logo that they have seen earlier popped up, while a voice said:

 _"We're not the ones sending a card this time."_ The logo and its moving background got farther away to reveal it was an envelope of sorts, and the red-gloved hand reached out to grab it between the index and the middle fingers. _"In fact, we've been_ invited _."_

"No..." Ridley muttered in shock. "Do you mean-?"

There was a close-up on the boy, who then threw the card towards the right side of the screen.

 _"Invited to steal the greatest treasure of all."_ The voice added.

And the next thing that happened, none of them could have guessed. The next thing they knew, the envelope had gone blank, it had turned around, and it now proudly displayed a red seal, with the Smash logo on it.

"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD" Bandana Dee cried. "IT _IS_ SMASH!"

"I CALLED IT! I CALLED IT!" Ridley screamed, getting up from his seat and stomping on the floor out of excitement. "PERSONA 5 IN SMASH, BABY!"

White lines appeared in screen and morphed into the figures of various Smashers. _"We'll be going up against the best of the best…"_

"AAAAAHH, HOLY CRAP!" K. Rool said.

"NO WAY!" Geno also joined in.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!" Banjo added, covering his mouth with his paws in amazement.

"THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE! PERSONA 5!" Ridley said. "A BETTER RPG THAN POKÉMON, FIRE EMBLEM, EARTHBOUND, OR SUPER MARIO RPG WILL EVER BE!"

Geno shot Ridley a piercing glare, but the latter didn't even notice.

"IS THIS REALLY TRUE?!" Bandana Dee said.

Geno shifted in his place. "Why, literally anything is possible now!"

"YES!" Banjo said.

Meanwhile, the background of the TV had turned black and Joker had gotten close to the camera. As it zoomed out, the red-gloved hand took away the mask, and Joker shouted. _"PERSONA!"_. Behind him, a blue flame grew and became a humanoid figure with red eyes and mouth.

"Oh, wow. Who would have expected that?" Geno asked. "I haven't been so hyped since Cloud!"

"I haven't been so hyped since I got my invite!" K. Rool said.

"I haven't been so hyped since Piranha Plant got revealed!" Bandana Dee said.

Geno flinched at this statement, taking his hand towards his forehead. "Please… don't talk to me about that jerk…"

"Come on, it's not that bad. You're just salty!" Ridley said.

"Woah, congratulations to Persona 5 for getting into Smash." Banjo said. "They really did deserve it."

 _"Challenger Pack 1:"_ The screen read. Then the screen changed to say _"JOKER"_ , and then again to show _"JOKER from Persona 5!"_ After that, the logo of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate materialized. And then _"Super Smash Bros. x Persona 5"_. Finally, there was a Nintendo logo and the words _"WORLD PREMIERE"_ , before the crowd was shown clapping and Reggie was shown on-screen next to the host. The former was wearing a shirt with Ultimate's logo that coincidentally sported Ridley's picture.

Bandana Dee pointed at the screen. "IT'S REGGIE!"

 _"Oh, Reggie Reggie Reggie."_ The host said, holding his microphone, turning towards the guest, and chuckling.

"Reggie, my boy." Ridley added, returning to his position on the couch. "Fancy seeing you there."

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Geno said. Obviously, he had gone back to shushing mode.

 _"Quite the surprise."_ The host continued. _"So, uh... Alright, so Super Smash Bros.'s coming out tonight-"_

"And I brought my Switch over to play it as soon as it comes out!" Bandana Dee said, lifting up the console in question. "I already pre-purchased the digital version and I have my dock with me!"

"Tsk, tsk, the physical version is better." Ridley replied.

"Shh!" Geno scolded. "Can't you _see_ Reggie is gonna speak?"

 _"-from Persona 5 coming to Smash,"_ The host was saying. _"Everyone's in this game!"_

At these words, Bandana Dee frowned, Geno shuddered, and Banjo shifted on his seat.

 _"Everyone's in this game. Right."_ Reggie said. The three aforementioned friends would have certainly complained, but they didn't because, come on, it was Reggie speaking. " _So we've said that… Super Smash Bros. Ultimate… it is the biggest crossover in video game history-dare I say, the biggest crossover in entertainment-"_

"Ha, take that, Infinity War!" Kazooie said.

"SHHHHH!" Geno practically shouted.

 _"-and so, yes, you know, the… the, uh… game's about to launch, we're super excited, we're super excited to give the fans the opportunity to summon a Persona into the game."_

"How about summoning a star?" Geno said.

"SHShhshshSHShs-sSH!" Kazooie mocked. Geno wasn't amused in the least.

 _"-So these are the DLC fighters that will come out?"_ The host was saying.

 _"Correct."_ Reggie answered. _"So this gives you a flavor of how we're approaching the DLC. So, in the DLC there's going to be five characters; each character will come with a stage, it will come with a collection of music…"_

Banjo and Kazooie both perked up. The latter even poked her head out of the backpack to see Reggie and listen intently to what he was saying. Geno and Bandana Dee fidgeted and got closer to the TV, the Waddle Dee's eyes growing big and expectant as they could guess what was coming. The five of them breathed in deeply and held their breath.

 _"...These are going to be characters that are new to the series, just like Joker from Persona 5, characters that you would not anticipate to be in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. We're super excited about this, the fans can go and they can get their Fighters Pass to get all of the five... fighters that'll be coming to the series. We're tremendously excited."_

Geno closed his eyes and let his breath out as a sigh. "... I least I tried…" He muttered to himself. Meanwhile, Bandana Dee continued holding his breath in exasperation and Kazooie went back into the backpack.

 _"Well, I would think you'd be even more excited because tonight Smash is about to launch!"_ The host said.

 _"Smash is about to launch. And, uh..."_ Reggie was interrupted by the eager cheers and claps from the crowd. _"You know you needed to have a really good show for me to be here versus supervising that everything's going great for the launch. Yeah, we're super excited. Smash is, uh, just minutes away and it's gonna be fantastic."_

 _"Alright, well, Reggie, you've been here every year for the Game Awards, we really appreciate it, and, before we go, uh… maybe we should head to the stage for the Game Awards orchestra, a little something for Super Sma-"_

The TV shut down mid-sentence, interrupting the host. The screen went pitch black and completely mute and, this time, it wasn't something happening at the Game Awards. It was clearly happening to the TV itself. From that point onwards, things escalated pretty quickly.

"Huh?" Banjo said.

Geno was standing next to the TV, remote control in hand, with his back turned towards the rest. He put the remote down on a table, turned around to face the group, and crossed his arms as if he was satisfied with what he had just done. Otherwise, he behaved as if nothing had happened, since he didn't even say a word.

"Wha-?" Ridley snarked. "What's wrong with you?! Turn it back on!"

"Yes, dude, what gives?" K. Rool said. "Have you gone mad or what?"

"I think we've seen enough." Geno said, closing his eyes and putting his hand on his chin, though his expression didn't look pensive. He seemed hurt instead. "You wanted to hear news about Smash? Well, there you had them. We were waiting for that, weren't we? Unless you were watching because of Super Mario Party and Mario Tennis Aces, which I highly doubt."

"... What about the Game of Year?" Banjo asked gently, trying not to induce conflict. "And the orchestra?"

"Just look them up in Youtube later." Geno said. "I mean, none of you even care about the nominees, so what's the point?"

Ridley growled, but he couldn't hold himself back. He charged towards Geno from the other side of the room, stopping himself so close to his target that Geno could feel Ridley's boiling breath hitting his face. Geno was startled at first and he even covered his face with his hands, but then he shifted to a determined stance, defying Ridley with a frown of his own, clenching his fists. Showing his teeth threateningly, Ridley wasn't intimidated in the least.

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Ridley said. "This is the Cunning God of Death to you, is that clear? If I say 'Turn on the TV', then you freaking turn on the TV, you good-for-nothing idiot. This is important to me and it should be important to you as well if you call yourself a video game character. And if you don't care about the Game Awards, then you can get your ugly butt out of here because you have no right to be salty just because Joker got into Smash before you. If you're gonna be such a crybaby after every reveal, then you better not get into Smash at all."

Geno stepped back, twisting his face in a disgusted expression like if he was shocked rather than offended. "... Well, maybe _some of us_ just don't want to talk about Smash. But if you're too self-absorbed and inconsiderate to notice that, then I'll gladly take my leave."

"I agree with Geno." Bandana Dee said, standing up from his position on the floor. Ridley, without moving away, turned his head around, still showing off his fangs. "You have no right to call him a 'crybaby' when you were the one who would throw a tantrum every time a character other than yourself was announced for Smash. Have you forgotten those times already? For crying out loud, we had to stop meeting at my place because you'd always end up thrashing Dedede's belongings! Have you forgotten how salty you'd get when someone implied you were too big for Smash? Heck, have you forgotten that we befriended each other in first place because we _weren't_ in Smash? Because things would get too boring in our own worlds while Smashers like Kirby or Samus were away at tournaments? So stop behaving like you're entitled. You could've as easily been left out in Smash, with so many options on the table that they could've chosen in your place."

"Entitled?!" K. Rool snapped, jumping out of his seat. "Ridley, entitled?! Why, you little scumbag, _you_ are entitled for thinking that you actually deserve to be in Smash. Jeez, you are entitled even for just thinking about the mere possibility. You know what? I'm sorry to crush your dreams, but only 'the best of the best' get into Smash, you hear me? No one goes around expecting or even requesting to become a Smasher because that idea is too far-fetched and arrogant for anyone. Unless you're Waluigi. Or, a dumb, unimportant, and _entitled_ sidekick whose only hope of getting into Smash is Piranha Plant."

Bandana Dee breathed in sharply, his eyes becoming teary at such a rough insult. He was left speechless, so Geno stood up for him. Approaching K. Rool, he got in front of Bandana Dee with a protective stance. "Stop it, already! You all know how much of a touchy topic this is for us. Or at least you should, because you've also lived through the same thing. We might even have it worse than you ever did, because Reggie just basically deconfirmed us, so don't expect us to take the news lightly. The fact that you're being such jerks to us now that you've gotten into Smash, says more about you than it says about Bandana Dee or me."

"You have it _worse_?!" K. Rool said. "Perhaps if the both of you stopped being so dramatic, then we would be able to have an actual conversation. _I_ have been requested for Smash since as far as Melee and Ridley has been too. In fact, Ridley was apparently deconfirmed by Sakurai himself, when he said that he was way too big for Smash and that resizing him would be too awkward. So, no, you melodramatic thickheads, you haven't had it worse than us. Heck, I'd even say that if Master Hand saw how much of a weakling you two really are, despite being so requested for Smash, you'd be the laughing stock of Nintendo. You should be ashamed of yourselves, that's what you should be."

Banjo had been static throughout the whole ordeal, not knowing how to react or the right thing to do. However, he had had too much of it already, so he decided to stand up and stop the fight for once and for all. He couldn't continue to sit there while his guests and, most importantly, friends, practically stabbed each other with harsh words. He knew that Ridley and K. Rool played rough most of the times-after all, it was in their nature-but he knew pretty well that, like Geno said, Smash bros. was a sensitive topic ever since the two of them became Smashers. Actually, it had always been a sensitive topic for the five of them, but it wasn't a problem before because none of them was a Smasher. Besides, words, sometimes, can hurt more than actions, and this was no exception.

"Please, guys, stop fighting!" Banjo said, standing right in the middle of the group with his hands on the air as if to show that he came in peace. "This isn't going to solve anything!"

"That's because there's nothing to solve." Kazooie chirped in, coming out of Banjo's backpack. "Here. Let me have a few words with them."

Banjo shrugged. He hadn't expected Kazooie to come out at such an inconvenient moment, but he decided to let her voice her opinion freely. "Um… as you wish."

Kazooie jumped onto Banjo's shoulders and looked down at the group of Smashers and aspiring Smashers. She looked around, as if scanning her surroundings, and then she pointed at Bandana Dee with one of her wings. "You are not getting into Smash because you're a weakling, a sidekick, a Goomba with a hat, and Marx would be a better rep."

Leaving Bandana Dee stunned, Kazooie scoured the room with her eyes for Geno, and she pointed at him. "You are not getting into Smash because you're obscure, irrelevant, nobody knows who you are, and you're just another Mario rep."

Geno squinted at Kazooie, unimpressed, as if he had heard that a thousand times. Next, she spotted Ridley and pointed at him. "You shouldn't have been in Smash because you're too big, you're breaking your game's laws of physics, you're not even the main villain of your series, and Sakurai didn't want you in."

Ridley looked away and grunted. Banjo could almost swear that he saw him pouting. Kazooie turned her head again and pointed at K. Rool. "You… I mean, where do I get started with you? You haven't starred in a game from your own series since 1999 and, to be fair, you haven't starred in a game of any kind since 2008. Basically what I'd say to you, I already said to Geno. You're the embodiment of why Steve from Minecraft will get into Smash before Banjo and me will."

Kazooie jumped back into Banjo's backpack. "There. I said what needed to be said."

"To be honest, I don't think that helped a lot…" Banjo said. "And, for the record, just the fact that Steve is currently relevant doesn't make him an instant newcomer confirm for Smash. Besides, since both K. Rool and me both come from games by Rare, I think I still have hopes of coming into the game as DL-"

"Erm, Banjo?" Kazooie interrupted. "The pep talk was supposed to be for them, not for you."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

Geno sighed heavily. "If that was a pep talk, then I do not feel much better. Well, it doesn't matter now. We're never getting into Smash, not after what Reggie said."

"Who cares? Nobody wanted you in Smash anyways." Ridley shrugged. "Plus, the chicken is right. Who would pay a single dollar to play as some outdated doll that appeared in one. freaking. Mario. game? Even Piranha Plant makes more sense!"

"I'm not a chicken, you numbskull!" Kazooie said, her complaints muffled because of her position inside the very depths of Banjo's backpack.

Geno leaned towards Ridley slowly, squinting, and frowning, incredulous. "Are you dismissing the hordes of fans that want me in Smash, just like they want you? Do you think that I want to join Smash for the fun of it? Darn it, I'd be a superficial, egotistical fool if that were the case. Smash is what it is not only thanks to the devs, but also thanks to the fans. I mean, would the two of you even _be_ in Smash if it weren't because of the fans? If it were for Sakurai, then I would've been in Smash ages ago!"

"Ha! I thought we had already finished talking about entitlement, you hypocrite!" K. Rool said, letting out a mocking guffaw, as he patted his belly heartily. "Sakurai might not decide characters all on his own, but the fans don't decide either. If Smash was all about fan service, then Waluigi would be a fighter, and so would be Goku, Sora, Shantae, Shovel Knight, and Crash Bandicoot. In fact, Corrin and at least half of the Fire Emblem cast wouldn't be in, along with the joke characters like Jigglypuff, Pichu, Young Link, and Wii Fit Trainer. Smash would be a wildly different place if it was purely based on fan service. Besides, everyone wants to join Smash for the fun of it, so don't think you're better than anyone else or above any reproach just because you're some angel sent from the heavens or something."

 _"I'm a_ star _and I'm a warrior sent from_ Star Road _to gather the_ Star pieces _and restore peace."_ Geno said between clenched teeth. "And, just to be clear, fan service does _not_ determine all and it most certainly doesn't decide a character, but it's a huge factor and it's something that the devs obviously consider when looking at possible newcomers. Sure, there's still characters that no one asked for, like Wii Fit Trainer or Piranha Plant, but they're part of the game and now they have their own fans within the community. Which is… way more than some of us can hope for…" Geno closed his eyes and seemed to sink into his own thoughts, before he came back to reality and continued speaking. "But what I mean is that you shouldn't call them joke characters. After all, they did get into Smash and many fans have fun with them, so, ultimately, it doesn't matter whether they got in through fan service or not."

K. Rool stared at Geno and crafted a maniacal smile. He elbowed Ridley, without dropping the cruel smile, and spoke. "You know what I heard, man? _'Star star star, blah blah blah, I wanna be in Smash, blah blah blah.'_ "

The two of them broke into a loud laugh, while Geno only bit his lip and resisted the urge to blast one of them through the ceiling. With every passing second, Banjo felt like somebody would explode soon and that, if he didn't do something about it, it would be a discussion none of them would ever forget. He just had to do something. But what?

Bandana Dee gasped, took the spear that was resting towards the wall, and ran towards K. Rool. "Leave Geno alone! Now you're just outright being mean!"

" _'Leave Geno alone!'_ " K. Rool peeped, imitating Bandana Dee's high-pitched voice. _"Aww_ , are Ridley and King K. Rool being big meanies to you and your pal? Pipsqueak!"

This comment made Bandana Dee's expression twist and his blood boil. "You imbeciles, I don't even know what did you do to get into Smash! Because you clearly don't deserve it!"

"Why, you, son of a-"

"STOP IT!" Banjo shouted at the top of his lungs, closing his eyes and clenching his fists. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"

"Jeez, guys." Kazooie said, slowly-and, perhaps, with her head out of the backpack. "Do you know what it takes to make Banjo _this_ freaking angry?"

As long-time friends of Banjo, everyone was shocked to hear him screaming. They all stepped back, getting a bit farther away from him, as many looked away or stared at the floor in shame. Ridley began fiddling with the loose fabric of the couch, Bandana Dee grew pale from the fright, and Geno gazed at Banjo with wide-open eyes. The room fell deathly silent. You could even say that the temperature dropped.

Banjo breathed in deeply, turned around to face the couch and climbed onto it. Standing on top of it, where he could see the whole group from above, he pointed at Ridley and K. Rool. "You, stop being such jerks because you _are_ in Smash Bros!"

He then pointed at Bandana Dee and Geno. "And you, stop being such jerks because you _aren't_ in Smash Bros!"

Banjo closed his eyes and breathed deeply once again. "For the love of Rare, Nintendo, and any other gaming company in the whole known universe, what's going on with you guys? Why do we have to fight over being in Smash Bros? That's something that's out of our control and, even it it wasn't, there's no need to get upset about it. Are we going to let all of the good times we've had together and all the things we've shared slip away from us just because things have changed? Stuff changes all the time and it's okay. We don't have to fight it. We don't have to let it divide us either. In fact, we should be supporting one another, celebrating our successes, and encouraging our endeavors! If some of us get into Smash Bros, then great! If some of us don't, then it doesn't matter. You're still the same and your fans won't stop cheering you on. But please, let's not allow this to ruin everything. It's not the end of the world. Though, if you do get into Smash, you should be happy, but not conceited. Getting into Smash is never a given and you should be grateful for having been chosen. Please, don't let your invite turn you into an arrogant jerk."

"They started it!" Ridley said.

"Did not!" Bandana Dee replied.

"You aren't getting the point, are you?" Banjo said. "Ridley, remember the time when you weren't a Smasher yet. I know you're a villian and the Cunning God of Death and all, but… can't you empathise with the feeling a bit? How would you expect every reveal with growing excitement, how would you enjoy to hear the fans cheering for you, and how desperate you were to finally be in the game that was so important to you? But… most importantly… that feeling of despair every time someone said you had no chances, that you were too big, or that other fighters would be a better choice?"

Ridley crossed his arms and averted his sight. "I guess I had forgotten about that." He growled, not wanting to admit it. "Just a little."

"Yes, me too." K. Rool confessed. "After disappearing from the gaming scene, life became bland, dull, and boring. Everything was the same… I didn't even get to fight the Kongs anymore! Those were dark times, indeed."

"Ugh, I remember when Samus would leave for Smash Bros. and I would be left with no worthy opponents to pester." Ridley rolled his eyes. "And the most annoying part of all was when she came back! She would bring trophies she won on tournaments and pictures of her adventures and an obnoxious smile on her stupid face… It was so infuriating!"

"And, when it comes to you," Banjo said, turning to look at Bandana Dee and Geno. "All hope isn't lost. You never know what'll happen in Smash Bros., and the fans are still on your side. Let's not jump to conclusions yet, alright?"

"Well, Banjo, you see," Geno said. "You still have a chance of getting into Smash Bros, maybe a bigger chance than ever, but, for us, it looks like there's no Smash career in the horizon. Reggie said that the DLC fighters are characters that are new to the series, like Joker, so that basically means that Mii Fighter costumes deconfirm characters. Like me."

"A-and that also means…" Bandana Dee stuttered. "T-that Spirits deconfirm… too. I'm never getting into Smash. Never!"

"Even _if_ you don't get into Smash," Banjo said. "Things will remain the same. You won't be any less and Ridley and K. Rool won't be any more just because they are in Smash and you aren't. And fans won't ever forget you either. They'll always be there to support you, through the good and the bad, because they like you for who you are and not because of the games in which you star in. Besides, if you get bored or anything, we can always continue to meet like this, except that Ridley and K. Rool will be busy sometimes. But I promise I won't think any less of you two and your fans won't either, so rest assured that Smash Bros. or the absence of it won't define who you are."

"You make a good point." Geno said. "Smash Bros. is very important to many, but… we can't let it define us. It became so important to me because my first game was my last and… as K. Rool said, things got boring and predictable after it. I guess Smash Bros. just gave me something to look forward to! But… you're right. It can't be the most important thing in life. Besides, it's out of our control, so… yes, we can't let it define who we are."

Bandana Dee looked away and left his spear on the floor next to him. "Yes… you're right. We let ourselves be carried away by our dreams of being a Smasher. But it's not the only thing that matters and it's not the thing that matters the most by any means. I guess we stopped looking on the bright side for a moment and focused on what we didn't have."

"Speaking about what we _don't_ have, we should check if Ultimate is available yet." K. Rool said.

"Oh, yeah, Ultimate!" Bandana Dee said. "I-I almost forgot i-it's coming out _tonight!_ How foolish of me… Where's my Switch?"

While Bandana Dee looked around the room and ran over to the Switch case once he spotted it, Geno walked towards the TV and grabbed the remote control. "I'll get the dock ready for you, Bandana."

"Thanks!" He approached the dock, took out the Switch from its case, and put it inside. Geno turned on the TV and switched it to HDMI mode, while Ridley and K. Rool helped to prepare the controllers, sync them, and hand them over to each player.

"Guys…" Banjo muttered, almost as if he didn't want to heard. "I don't think Ultimate is out yet…"

"I call dibs on Kirby!" Bandana Dee said, waving his controller up in the air.

"Dibs on Pikachu." Geno said.

"No, that's unfair, you use Mario." K. Rool said. "I'll grab Pikachu."

"What? Why do I have to use Mario?" Geno asked.

"'Cause you know him best."

Geno shrugged, smiling playfully. "Well, then you get to use Donkey Kong."

"Yuck!" K. Rool shuddered. "Not the Kongs!"

"In that case, I get to use Pikachu because I'm a Robin main, so Pikachu's the base roster character with abilities that are the most similar to my main."

"Um… Whom should I play as in the main roster?" Ridley asked.

"Samus!" Bandana Dee joined in.

"Ugh, no! I'd rather play as Pichu!" Ridley said. "You know, I'll just play as Donkey Kong because he looks big and strong. And then I'll play as Joker once the DLC comes out."

"Ha! As if I'm gonna buy the DLC! I didn't even know who Joker was until today!" Bandana Dee said. "... But of course I'm gonna end up buying it." He chuckled.

"If Pikachu is taken, then I'll just call dibs on Fox." K. Rool said. "He was a monster in Melee, after all."

As his friends made themselves comfortable in the couch or on the floor, Banjo couldn't hold back a smile. "You see, Kazooie? How interesting. Smash Bros. could unite us just as easily as it could divide us. It all depends on your attitude."

Kazooie came out of the backpack and leant over Banjo's shoulder. "Hmph, yeah, but I'd still like to get that invite someday."

"I couldn't have said it better." Banjo said. "Maybe someday. But meanwhile, let's enjoy what we have."

With those words, Banjo took his own controller in hand and looked at the screen. _"The console will search the Internet to check if the software can be played."_ It read on a pop-up. Well, Ultimate wasn't probably out yet, since it was too early, but Banjo was glad that at least everything had gone back to normal.

* * *

 _A/N : Hey there! I hope you enjoyed this short fanfic. It's actually very similar to another one-shot I wrote about a Smash Direct, except that this one is not a comedy. I'm not sure if I should have made it one, but I'm satisfied with it the way it is. I hope I stayed in character as much as I could because I've never played a game with K. Rool, Banjo, Kazooie, or Geno in it, so... please let know if there's any mistake. I do think this one-shot was a little bit rushed like the other one, but I also wanted to make it a short, lighthearted read. Anyways, thanks for reading!_

 _By the way, RIP Bandana Dee (my most wanted newcomer) and Geno for Smash. We have to look on the bright side, though. We'll surely get other amazing reps from new franchises that will add variety to the roster and tons of possibilities!_

 _Edit : I stated in the disclaimer that King K. Rool belonged to Rare. A guest reviewer kindly pointed out that he was created by Rare, but his rights belonged to Nintendo. So, that has been corrected. Thanks :)_


End file.
